Canadian folksinger, songwriter and humanitarian shares his past with Hamilton school

Bruce Cockburn is offering a candid and rare behind the scenes look at the life of one of Canada’s most celebrated musicians and advocates for human rights.

The folksinger, songwriter and humanitarian is sharing a chunk of his life with Hamilton’s McMaster University — and it’s for all to see.

The composer of hits “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and “Rocket Launcher” has donated his archives to the school, including three guitars, scrapbooks, original song lyrics and even T-shirts and a cap, all to be used as resource material for students and fans.

The collection also includes notebooks from 1969 to 2002 (32 in all) where one can follow the development of his work — often from single thoughts to finished lyrics — all set randomly among abstract doodlings. Personal observations, schedules, budgets, set lists, letters and other notes are included, offering a window into Cockburn’s imagination, creative process and the challenges of an individual making a living.

“It’s wonderful to have this look into his life,” says Rick Stapleton, an archives and research collections librarian at the university. “The material shows a fascinating story.”

Cockburn was given an honourary doctorate by McMaster in 2009 and it was then that the university approached him with the idea of a permanent home for a large share of his personal and professional material.

“I’m honoured they want to be the custodian of all the flotsam I’ve accumulated,” he said. “(McMaster) is one of the top universities in Canada . . . I’m glad the stuff has found a home and glad it will be accessible to anyone who’s interested.”

He says “all in all” the collection is quite comprehensive with manuscripts, demos, and meaningful memorabilia of all sorts.

Compiling and cataloguing the work has been ongoing the past two years, but a ceremony with Cockburn at the university Tuesday night signals its completion.

Stapleton says the material is not on display but, like all archived material, can be requested for viewing at the university’s library.

“I find the notebooks quite fascinating,” says Stapleton, who also admits to being a fan. “It’s there you can see the creative process . . . you can see the birth of an idea and watch it grow.”

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